Sometimes all you really need is a place to call home. *** Claire is lost and scared and utterly alone. Her family is in shambles after the death of her older sister Ina, and she's left to pick up the broken pieces of herself as her life heads into a downwards spiral of loneliness. Her heart leads her to 5:48, a little cafe by 33rd street, where she finds her new home. With a broken heart and a speech disability, Jasper has his heart and mouth sewn shut by the winding threads of hurt and fear. Painting and serving coffee in cafe 5:48 are one of his last few saving graces, but the smile he's been painting on himself will soon fade away as everything he's ever held dear slips away from his grasp. Ezra is out-of-sync and oddly cold by the way life has treated his young self. Abandoned by his single mother at an early age, he has grown up thinking that he is a mistake. His constant shaking hands are a reflection of what he often thinks of himself, but the delightful pastries he bakes for 5:48's customers are a reflection of what others see of him. Drew is a quirky rarity. He is a dash of loud, a pinch of exuberant, and a cup of eccentric - just like the meals he serves in the cafe as the only chef there. Behind his playful grins and outlandish clothes, however, are his jutting ribs, hollowed cheeks, and too-thin arms. Sometimes he cannot stomach being in his own skin as much as he cannot stomach food. This family has gone a long way from finding each other, and they'll be going a long way together too as reality comes catching up to them, threatening the newfound happiness they've found with each other. Secrets are revealed, pasts become presents, and lives are changed. Slowly but surely, they find their way back home. *** NOTE AS OF 08/2026: This is the old version of the story from 2012, posted in FULL. Another story that will be considered a reprise of this old version is in the works, and will be posted under the name "Hiraya House."

Nightingale is human - or would be, had it not been for the manner of her creation. Genetically engineered and grown to adulthood in a lab, she was created, not born. Why? For the sole purpose of the entertainment of rich men as one of the many Inamoratas in the bordello business . Beautiful, elegant, a superb dancer and an even better singer, she is the perfect lover for any man. Perfect, that is, except for her personality - the one thing you can't engineer.

Charlie is in serious hot water. After a naked girl falls from the sky, lands on his lawn, and claims to be from heaven, his entire summer is flipped upside-down. This girl can talk to animals, fight like a ninja, and hear people's thoughts. Plus, it doesn't hurt that she's got the most gorgeous blue eyes this side of the equator and skin as soft as goose down. But she is on earth for one reason and one reason only: to save a lost soul left behind on the wrong plane. Charlie agrees to help her, but when her jealous partner shows up to speed up the process, things get tense for all of them. Can Charlie let go of the one thing that has ever made him feel worthwhile? And more importantly, does she feel the same?

Hooker boots, fishnet stockings, fried hair, and crayola makeup. Throw in sex and a high possibility of STD's and you've got the image of a whore. There's always that one story about the social outcast rumored to sleep around and fuck everyone in sight, when in reality she hasn't even had her first kiss yet. Adriana isn't that girl. She's seen and done things most are ashamed to admit to, she's met people most seventeen year old girls steer clear of, and she's trapped. She's been trapped in a vicious cycle of dirty old men, drugs, beatings, and alcohol since she'd stepped into it at the age of thirteen. Adriana Williams, the name of a rebellious, detached, scarred girl who lives her life without really living it. Doesn't sound like much of a nanny, does she? Well, don't judge a book by its cover.

Luke Archer and Summer Merrick have always been the It-Couple at Roseville High. When Luke breaks up with Summer at the beginning of senior year, Summer reveals that she has been cheating on Luke with Paul Walden, Luke’s best friend. Angry and betrayed, Luke decides to get revenge, and he enlists the help of Jamie Vandeviere, a girl who has always been invisible to the popular crowd. Their goal is to transform Jamie into the most popular girl at school and take down Summer’s position as Queen Bee. However, being popular turns out to be a lot more difficult than what Jamie had in mind. What exactly has she gotten herself into? ***READ AT YOUR OWN RISK***